Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Getting America Vaccinated Against COVID Won't Be Easy
CNN: One Shot Of Coronavirus Vaccine Likely Won't Be Enough
When a coronavirus vaccine comes on the market, people will likely need two doses, not just one -- and that could cause real problems. Some of the potential problems are logistical. Difficulties procuring test kits and protective gear throughout the pandemic point to supply chain issues that could also plague distributing double doses of vaccines for an entire country. (Bonifield, Cohen and Vigue, 8/30)
Modern Healthcare: Half Of Americans Are 'Highly Likely' To Get COVID-19 Vaccinations
Only around half of Americans are highly likely to get vaccinated for COVID-19, according to a new survey. Fifty-three percent of 1,101 Americans polled in early August said they were highly likely to get vaccinated, while 17% were somewhat likely, 21% were not likely and 10% were unsure, according to a Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock survey. Fears of potential side effects and the potential of being infected by the virus from the vaccine were the top concerns. (Kacik, 8/28)
Stat: Plan To Expand Global Access To Covid-19 Vaccines Nears Critical Juncture
The coming few weeks represent a crucial moment for an ambitious plan to try to secure Covid-19 vaccines for roughly 170 countries around the world without the deep pockets to compete for what will be scarce initial supplies. Under the plan, countries that want to pool resources to buy vaccines must notify the World Health Organization and other organizers — Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations — of their intentions by Monday. That means it’s fish-or-cut-bait time for the so-called COVAX facility. (Branswell, 8/28)
The Wall Street Journal: From ‘Freezer Farms’ To Jets, Logistics Operators Prepare For A Covid-19 Vaccine
Logistics providers are building giant cold-storage facilities, or “freezer farms,” and lining up equipment and transportation capacity as they gear up for the rapid delivery of millions of doses of potential coronavirus vaccines around the world. “The challenge for us will be to be on our ready at any moment to ship from one place to another,” said Wes Wheeler, president of the health-care division at United Parcel Service Inc., which is setting up the freezer farms, each consisting of hundreds of portable freezer units. (Chen, 8/28)
NPR: A Coronavirus Nasal Spray Vaccine Can Be Strong But Is Hard To Make
The primary goal of a COVID-19 vaccine is to keep people from getting very sick and dying. But there's another goal — to prevent the spread of the disease — and it's not clear most vaccine candidates currently under development can do that. Some scientists think they can solve that problem by delivering a vaccine as a nasal spray. (Palca, 8/28)
Also —
Stat: Moderna Failed To Disclose Federal Funding For Patent Applications, Advocates Say
An advocacy group has asked the Department of Defense to investigate what it called “an apparent failure” by Moderna (MRNA) to disclose millions of dollars in awards received from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in patent applications the company filed for vaccines. In a letter to the agency, Knowledge Ecology International explained that a review of dozens of patent applications found the company received approximately $20 million from the federal government in grants several years ago and the funds “likely” led to the creation of its vaccine technology. (Silverman, 8/28)
